Townsend, McAdoo lead American girls on Day 1 of Orange Bowl

PLANTATION, Fla. – As the No. 1 junior girl in the world, Taylor Townsend (Stockbridge, Ga.) is still the top American to watch in the Orange Bowl Girls' 18s draw.

But she’s not the only one to keep an eye on, as eight of a possible 12 Americans won their first-round matches in the Girls' 18s draw at the Orange Bowl International Tennis Championships at the Frank Veltri Tennis Center on Monday.

The top-seeded Townsend, on the day it was announced that she’ll turn pro starting in 2013, earned the first win of what will be her final junior tournament, beating Serbia’s Ivana Jorivic, 7-6 (1), 7-6 (6). If she reaches the singles final, the 16-year old Townsend guarantees she’ll finish 2012 as the world’s No. 1-ranked junior.

"We have a really good group. I feel like we’re really close to each other, so it’s always good, and we’re all supporting each other," Townsend said. "But it’s still competition, so when it comes down it, we’re still playing against each other. So as long as we’re not playing each other, we’re supporting each other."

There was a lot of support to go around, then. Anne-Liz Jeukeng (Boca Raton, Fla.), Louisa Chirico (Harrison, N.Y.), Brooke Austin (Indianapolis) and Mia Horvit (Parkland, Fla.) also won their first-round matches.

"Well, the USA players are all very strong, and we’re all very supportive of one another," said Kiick, the daughter of former Miami Dolphins running back Jim Kiick, after downing the Czech Republic’s Dominika Paterova, 6-1, 6-3. "We have Taylor, who’s the No. 1 girl in the world, and I’m pretty sure a lot of the other girls are all seeded. We’re all playing really well."